Storage

BESS projects awarded as Ontario looks to meet demand growth

A joint venture between Atura Power, a unit of Ontario Power Venture, and Ameresco was selected to build a 250 MW / 1,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). The selection was made by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) in Canada. 

Atura Power proposed designing, building, and operating the BESS at its Napanee Generating Station in Bath, Ontario.

Atura Power and Ameresco will complete the project through a joint venture known as Napanee BESS Inc. Under terms of the award, the JV will enter into a 20-year capacity agreement with the IESO. Ameresco is a 10.1% minority partner in the JV and will provide Engineering and Construction services under a separate contract with the JV.

In mid-May, the IESO ESO offered contracts to seven battery storage facilities located throughout the province, varying in size from 5 MW to 300 MW. The entity also secured 586 MW of gas-fired generating capacity from expansions and upgrades at existing sites. 

And, a new agreement was finalized for the 540 MW gas-fired Brighton Beach Generating Station to continue operations to 2034 and provide an additional 42.5 MW of capacity through an efficiency upgrade.

After more than a decade of stable electricity supply, IESO has forecasted that Ontario will see a capacity need emerging in 2025 and growing through the latter part of the decade. This is a result of increased demand due to expanding electrification and increasing business investment in the province, refurbishment schedules at the Bruce and Darlington nuclear facilities and expiring contracts.

Southwestern Ontario, especially the Windsor-Essex region, is experiencing rapid growth in electricity demand from greenhouses as well as investments in the lithium-ion battery and automotive sectors.

According to IESO, peak electricity demand in the Windsor-Essex and Chatham areas is forecast to grow from roughly 500 MW in 2022 to about 2,100 MW in 2035, the equivalent of adding cities the size of Ottawa and London to the grid.

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